The Eagle Was Landed

An eagle ray on a 7wt - Photo thanks to Matt Denton

On a recent short trip to South Australia's Yorke Peninsula, Matt Denton and I were hoping to chase a number of species. The main ones we were focused on being Australian salmon, mulloway, and snook. We tried a number of areas along the Eastern side of the peninsula and around the lower west as far as Browns Beach with no luck. In fact one small flathead on spin tackle and a soft plastic was all we managed. The tides were terrible, in fact it was pretty much a dodge tide. 

On the final morning we decided to have a look at the Jetty at Ardrossan. As we walked down, peering over the side we saw two small eagle rays cruising the shallows together. They were not on the bottom, instead cruising mid water. I thought I would have a cast or two at them before heading to the end of the jetty.  I walked up ahead where I predicted they would pass by soon and put all my gear down. I  then stripped some line off my 7wt outfit, and by that time they were about to cross my path. The yellow over white 1/0 clouser landed right in their path, however I expected them to keep swimming straight past. One however swam straight over to it and stopped right where my fly was. I paused for a second before strip striking, and was still shocked when it all came tight! Matt had a few casts at the other one which continued to cruise around while I was hooked up to the first one. He accidentally foul hooked it and fought it for a while before busting it off next to the jetty. 

Not long later, we led mine down to the shallows where I beached it and we walked down to take a few photos before taking out the fly and releasing this beautiful creature to grow a lot bigger. Unfortunately, and I think due to the light tackle I don't think this ray really pull as hard as it could have - it almost seemed as if it barely knew it was hooked. In fact for the most part it was like walking a stubborn dog around on a leash. It did take a few short runs that showed off how fast these thinks can swim - and I think hooking a bigger specimen on perhaps a 12wt might be a lot of fun!

For more photos check out our Facebook page!

Matt Denton casting a metal lure in hope of finding some Australian Salmon

Fraser Flats Frustration

Heading into the flats

As promised in my previous post, A Little Taste of Hervey Bay I will share the short but frustrating story of what happened when Tri from Fraser Guided Fishing tried to give me the opportunity of casting at something on the beautiful sandflats of Fraser Isalnd. He had warned me that it was still a little early in the year, and that I shouldn't expect too much. I think he could sense that I really wanted to give sight fishing the flats on fly at least a shot while I was there though. I pulled the 10wt out, tied on a chartreuse over white clouser and over to the shallows we went. Slowly cruising along over the crystal clear flats it was disappointing to see absolutely no fish cruising. We covered a bit of water with me standing up on the front casting deck, line stripped and ready for a cast if an opportunity did present itself. 

"Ok, reel in and come back to the back of the boat. We'll head to one last spot and try and get you something decent before we head back in for the day" Tri said. Fair call I thought, seeing as it was getting late and there was clearly nothing there. It would be disappointing to resort to spin gear in deeper water again, but I also wasn't the only one on the boat to consider. I reeled up the slack, and stepped from the casting deck. I think I took maybe two steps toward the back of the boat when Tri yelled "There they are!!". At first I thought he was joking. "Right in front of us" he said. I turned, and there were three longtail tuna slowly cruising past in perfect fly casting range. I desperately tried to strip off enough line to cast as they swam past, but I only got half as much line out as I needed. Tri grabbed a spin rod and pelted out a cast ahead of them. One turned and hit but didn't hook up. Then they were gone. We had another look around but couldn't find them or any others, so gave up and headed to fish the one last deep spot. We didn't do any good there, but the thought of those tuna which Tri estimated to be about 12kg has me wanting to come back. Just a few seconds longer before reeling in and stepping off the casting deck and I may have had my first tuna, and a new species to add to my list of species on fly. 

I guess there is always next time. At his stage I am planning on heading back for a full week of serious fishing sometime in December.

Contact Tri for your own Fraser Island fishing experience tours@fraserguidedfishing.com.au


Check out his site www.fraserguidedfishing.com.au for more details 

A Little Taste of Hervey Bay

Urangan Pier

My visit to Hervey Bay a few weeks ago with my friend Matt didn't involve a lot of fishing. After all, I had planned three weeks of serious fishing in Exmouth almost immediately after. Unfortunately the Exmouth trip had to be cancelled, and so the little bit of fishing in Hervey Bay is all I have to report on. Basically Matt and I fished Urangan Pier at night on one occasion. I managed to christen my new Shimano Stella 6000HG SWB with a little pike caught on a Squidgy soft pastic. I didn't even bother to pull the camera from the bag for that one. Matt pulled a few baitfish and pike too, and I soon got a little flathead, again on the Squidgy. The weather was magnificent, and it was just nice being on the water despite not using a fly rod.

We booked a day out around Fraser Island with Tri from Fraser Guided Fishing for the final day of our trip. It was a magnificent day too, though the fishing was tough. Lots of small trevally and various reef fish down deep on Z-Man soft plastics. A handful of really nice fish were still landed, which is testament to Tri's hard work. And yes, I managed to pull the fly rod out for a bit later in the day too - I will save what happened there for my next post - but for now, lets just say it was one of the most painfully frustrating experiences of my fly fishing career! For now I will leave you with some images from the trip.

Urangan Pier at night, looking back at the foreshore

A full moon, and beautifully calm conditions

Not even close to a  challenge for the tackle used, but this little flathead was the first decent species landed for the trip

A dawn start with Tri on our final day, as a whale goes about it's business

A long run from an unseen fish...............finally something decent!

Almost in the net!

After a little more work, Matt finally has his first "real" fish in the net!

And here it is, a neat little yellowfin tuna on light tackle and a Z-Man soft plastic fished deep

Matt also managed this beautiful coral trout

When things went quiet, Tri had a flick with us and managed this snapper which measured just under 80cm

Apart from the coral trout, all fish were released

The whales move right in close to the island!

No words needed here really!

A couple of mating turtles drifting by. The wildlife here is incredible!

Magnificent ending to the day with a few big humpback whales

If you are interested in fishing around Fraser Island, I would definitely recommend Tri. He knows his stuff, worked very hard, and was a lot of fun to share a day on the water with. Check out his site www.fraserguidedfishing.com.au for details. 
He can be contacted via email tours@fraserguidedfishing.com.au

A Little Taste of Hervey Bay

Urangan Pier

My visit to Hervey Bay a few weeks ago with my friend Matt didn't involve a lot of fishing. After all, I had planned three weeks of serious fishing in Exmouth almost immediately after. Unfortunately the Exmouth trip had to be cancelled, and so the little bit of fishing in Hervey Bay is all I have to report on. Basically Matt and I fished Urangan Pier at night on one occasion. I managed to christen my new Shimano Stella 6000HG SWB with a little pike caught on a Squidgy soft pastic. I didn't even bother to pull the camera from the bag for that one. Matt pulled a few baitfish and pike too, and I soon got a little flathead, again on the Squidgy. The weather was magnificent, and it was just nice being on the water despite not using a fly rod.

We booked a day out around Fraser Island with Tri from Fraser Guided Fishing for the final day of our trip. It was a magnificent day too, though the fishing was tough. Lots of small trevally and various reef fish down deep on Z-Man soft plastics. A handful of really nice fish were still landed, which is testament to Tri's hard work. And yes, I managed to pull the fly rod out for a bit later in the day too - I will save what happened there for my next post - but for now, lets just say it was one of the most painfully frustrating experiences of my fly fishing career! For now I will leave you with some images from the trip.

Urangan Pier at night, looking back at the foreshore

A full moon, and beautifully calm conditions

Not even close to a  challenge for the tackle used, but this little flathead was the first decent species landed for the trip

A dawn start with Tri on our final day, as a whale goes about it's business

A long run from an unseen fish...............finally something decent!

Almost in the net!

After a little more work, Matt finally has his first "real" fish in the net!

And here it is, a neat little yellowfin tuna on light tackle and a Z-Man soft plastic fished deep

Matt also managed this beautiful coral trout

When things went quiet, Tri had a flick with us and managed this snapper which measured just under 80cm

Apart from the coral trout, all fish were released

The whales move right in close to the island!

No words needed here really!

A couple of mating turtles drifting by. The wildlife here is incredible!

Magnificent ending to the day with a few big humpback whales

If you are interested in fishing around Fraser Island, I would definitely recommend Tri. He knows his stuff, worked very hard, and was a lot of fun to share a day on the water with. Check out his site www.fraserguidedfishing.com.au for details. 
He can be contacted via email tours@fraserguidedfishing.com.au

RISE 2013

The Annual RISE  Fly Fishing Film Festival by Gin-Clear Media is coming up again both in Australia and New Zealand. It looks like there will again be an impressive line up of films, definitely worth attending if you are a keen fly angler. Tickets are already on sale for most shows.

I am hoping to make it to the Adelaide show, however the date has not yet been released. I'm crossing my fingers it will be in October. Most interstate and New Zealand dates have been released, most being in September. If my current plans go ahead, I am most likely going to be in Exmouth chasing bonefish, permit, and a variety of other species through much of September, so I may miss out. 

For Further Details, visit gin-clear.com or see the links below


Some great trailers, so you know what to expect, and more! RISE Fly Fishing Film Festival

Australian Show Dates

New Zealand Show Dates

 Don't forget to check out Gin-Clear on Facebook either, and the RISE Facebook page.
 

Looking Ahead

The Future of Flywater Exosed
Finally I seem to be in a position where I can get this project up and running again. One thing that I have noticed though, is that some of the seemingly untouched areas I have had in the back of my mind have been popping up in various places with people having finally explored the areas potential. Since they are likely to get more and more attention, I doubt they will be the place of choice for the big journey when it eventually happens. Instead, I intend to keep searching, meanwhile talking to some of the people that are unlocking the potential of these areas and filling you all in on what I find out.

Another thing that I will be sharing with you on here will be something that may impact the project in a big way. I have decided to learn to sail. This may mean that by the time I work out where Flywater X actually is, I may be able to get myself there. So far the plan is to learn the basics next summer, and then get out on a few short trips in various conditions over the next couple of years. Once I feel comfortable enough, I will buy an old but seaworthy yacht, and sail the length of the Great Barrier Reef for a month or three. It's something I have wanted to do since I was a child. Obviously there will be plenty of exciting fly fishing opportunities to report on while there, and I am also now considering getting an experienced videographer to come along for the ride, or at the very least attempting to get some reasonable footage to post on here myself. Plenty of time to work that out though!

In the meantime, I have a heap of interviews, reviews, and articles to work on. Don't forget to like us on Facebook so you will know as soon as a new post is up! 

Poetry and Fly Fishing

 

 

At the start of this year, I discovered that despite a strong dislike of poetry back in high school, I am now capable of writing it. Surprisingly enough, I actually enjoy it and have started writing quite regularly. I have finally finished writing one that sums up the importance of fly fishing to me, and possibly to a lot of others who are passionate about it too. Hope you all enjoy it, as I am sure it will not be the last one I post here.

 

I was going to wait until I had a title for this one before posting, but thought maybe I could ask you to post your ideas for a suitable title in the comments. Look forward to see what you come up with.

 

__________

 

In cobalt depths, beyond the tide

On tepid currents they do ride

Leviathans lurk way down deep

Then rise to haunt him in his sleep

 
 

Any new place that he does roam

He makes a cast and feels at home

In mountain stream, or ocean blue

This is what he was born to do

 

So as he wades through crystal creeks

He wonders if it's fish he seeks

As gin clear waters run by fast

They cleanse his soul of sorrows past

 
 

Now as he walks across the sand

With fly rod ready in his hand

Moving shadows do catch his eye

Right now, happy this man could die


__________



 

The Perfect Camera System - Part 3

Anyone going to guess which camera body I have chosen to go with? It's been mentioned in the blog before, but wasn't mentioned in the last post. I guess you could say the little poem I've written below is an announcement of the chosen camera body, and therefore the system that I will be using. For now I will simply leave you with it - more details on why in a later post, but since I've ordered two of these, two flashes, and 6 new lenses to go with them - I figured you may all be curious. So here goes....................

The Perfect Camera System - Part 2

A rocky, reefy ledge - Yorke Peninsula, South Australia

As you may remember in Part 1, I went through my requirements for a suitable camera for the this project. Now I am going to concentrate on the finer details that separate each camera from one other. I was hoping to get to try at least some of these cameras before writing this, but unfortunately it did not work out that way. It was decided that a digital SLR with a full frame 35mm sensor was the ideal system. There are only 2 companies that come to mind that currently produce them, and have a wide enough range of lenses to cover both the work I will be doing on this project, and the other work that will be called of them for my other photographic work: Those two companies, not surprisingly are Nikon Canon, This is good in a way, as it means less options to look at, however after much deliberation, I am still struggling to make a decision..

As much as I would like to take the full size pro bodies such as the Canon 1DX and the Nikon D4, I will be upfront and say I don't think I can justify the cost - especially as I want 2 bodies and would prefer if they were both the same. They would be fantastic for my work here, however their added bulk and weight would not be in their favour. There are also some fairly recent offerings from both Canon and Nikon that look ok, but as I have narrowed it down to 2 already (well 3 actually as you will come to see shortly) I will cut to the chase and discuss them in more detail.

The Final Contenders
Well, from Nikon there is the D800, and to throw an extra into the mix there is also the D800E. The Canon 5D MkIII, is the other option. Some people will say stick to Canon since I already own some fairly nice Canon glass, while others would argue that the D800 and D800E with their amazing 32mp Sony Exmor sensor is a much better choice. I prefer to weigh everything up in terms of what system will be best suited for my needs. To be honest I know I could very hap[pily live with either, but I see pros and cons with each. For the purpose of keeping this as short as I can, I will consider the 2 Nikons as one camera for now as deciding between the two variants will be something I do before purchasing if I decide to go Nikon. For those that don't know, the only difference between the D800 and D800E is the fact that Nikon has essentially offered the same camera both with and without an optical low pass filter (anti aliasgin filter). The "E" version does not have this filter, and therefore it does not blur the image at all before recording it on the sensor. It means the camera is capable of extra sharpness, however as a trade off moire (or pattern noise) can sometimes be an issue.

The Deciding Factors
For me, what I currently own has no bearing on my decision as I will be selling all of the equipment I already own to start with a fresh kit. I will be buying the new gear in the next month or so, and therefore need to make my decision fairly soon. Basically I am looking at what both camera systems offer me. I have to say that from a lens perspective, I am strongly leaning towards Canon for a couple of reasons. From a sensor perspective however, Nikon wins hands down. It has higher resolution, and great dynamic range, and the ability to pull shadow detail out without introducing colour noise. All of this is a big plus to Nikon, the only thing that the Canon has in its favour as far as sensors go is better skintones. Plenty of Nikon shooters and their high end clients are satisfied with portraits shot on Nikon, so the skintones thing isn't a deal breaker for me. Well, for the Nikon, that's about it! Atofocus capability finally seems to be in Canon's favour (at least when selectiong from the higher end bodies), and also Canon's impementation of live view.

Canon has a few special lenses that I really would like to own, the TS-E17mm f4L is one of them. I think it would make a fantastic landscape lens and  I would like to use it for some other work too. Nikon still has nothing that compares to it. The Stunning TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II is another, however this time Nikon does have a competitor for it in the PC-E 24mm f/3.5D ED. Unfortunately for it, it sounds like the Canon may be slightly superior optically, and is capable of a greater range of movements. The Canon 85mm f1.2L II is another particularly legendary lens that I have wanted to own for some time

Now, I'm not sure that the 85mm f1.2L would make it in the bag on the flywater Exposed journey due to it's size and weight, but the two TS-E lenses would be put to work shooting a lot of landscapes. If I went Nikon, then I think I would just buy the 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, which would  no doubt struggle slightly in the corners for sharpness, and not offer the creative possibilities, ability to keep vertical lines straight, or extra depth of field offered by the TS-E or PC lenses listed above.

The other main lenses I will be considering at this stage are pretty basic. the latest 24-70mm f/2.8 and 70-200mm f/2.8 (IS/VR) zooms from either company. All sound pretty good as far as zooms go, so I won't even bother weighing these into the equation. Other than that a decent macro is about it and things are pretty much covered. The Canon 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS is the pick for me there, while from what I have heard the Nikon  Micro 60mm f/2.8G ED is the one to pick. 

So there we have it - I'm stuck! The amazing high resolution 32mp, high quality files the Sony sensor equipped Nikon is capable of producing, with some very nice lenses, or the still highly capable Canon 22mp senor  with its accompanying superior focusing capabilities both with live view and through the viewfinder, plus those specialiust lenses that come at a hefty price. I know I can't make a wrong decision, but it's tough. Stay posted as I decide once and for all over the next few weeks.

Welcome to 2013

Firstly I would like to say I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year. I know this post is later than it should be, but I have been back at work, and when not here had a lot of other things to sort out. You know how things can get at this time of year! Even saw my first shark bite wound (will keep that story for an upcoming post). 

I thought I would make my first post for 2013 a bit of an overview of what I hope to achieve this year. Firstly, if you have read the about page, you may have noticed I have never attempted to get an artice or my images published in any of the flyfishing publications. Well, by the end of 2013, I am hoping that you will be able to open one or more of them up and see my work in print. Of course when that happens I will keep you informed.

As for the exciting bit, the adventure and flyfishing - well, I have a number of trips in mind. The main one as far as I am concerned is Exmouth in Wester Australia. I hope to spend about 3 weeks there and am hoping to spend a few days fishing with guides and a lot of time exploring the flats with a fly rod in hand. If all goes well, I would love to catch my first bonefish and permit, as well as a heap of other firsts on this trip. Those two species will probably require the help of Brett Wolf of True Blue Bonefish.

Here are a couple of videos that are from the True Blue Bonefish site.

Exmouth Bonefish

 

 

Exmouth Permit

 

Ok, so that's Exmouth. I also have at least 2 and possibly 3 other major trips planned. The idea is to make my first trip to Tasmania before the year is out, and also another visit to New Zealand where I may make the trip to the North Island for the first time. If opportunity allows I would also like to head up north to the top end and spend some time both in Darwin and in other more remote parts of the Northern Territory.

Apart from trips, I will hopefully be purchasing some new camera gear over the coming months (I'm still researching and having some difficulty making a final decision, hence the lack of Part 2 of my "Perfect Camera System" post. Fear not, after a little more thought Part 2 will come. I will also be buying some lighting equipment if all goes to plan, but that isn't overly relevant, however it will allow me to get better shots of products that I photograph and present on the blog.

So there is a bit of an idea of what will be happening. Obviously I will continmue to fish in more local waters as well, and will hopefully have a heap of fishing stories, and lots of relevant "other stuff" to present to you all. It certainly will be a busy year!

If you are interested in fishing for the bonefish and permit of Exmouth, despite not having met him myself, I would not hesitate to reccommend Brett Wolf as he has a fantastic reputation. Check out his site www.truebluebonefish.com.au for details and heaps of photos or contact him via email brett@truebluebonefish.com.au